Konoha - Inside a house in the Uchiha clan district
A black haired woman sat in a modest chair, listening to her husband talk while she gently stroked her swollen stomach
She remained blissfully unaware of the ancient soul currently merging with one of her unborn children, a child conceived against fate's grand design
Somewhere in the void of unconsciousness...
'Ugh... My head...'
Disoriented thought rippled through the darkness, its owner struggling against the dense fog dulling her mind
Memory slipped through her grasp like water through open fingers
The sensation was foreign, wrong
Her mind was sharp, always sharp
And yet now?
Nothing
'What the hell did I do this time?'
No answer came
Just silence
The kind that swallowed existences whole
'I can't feel my body...'
A flicker of something unsettling, crawling at the edges of awareness
A sensation she had no business experiencing
Discomfort? No, worse
Fear
The realization slammed into her like a blade to the chest, and she recoiled, instinctively rejecting it
'No
That's ridiculous
I'm not afraid
I don't get afraid
I must have damaged my soul, that's all'
Yes
That made sense
It had happened before
She was a cultivator, after all
bodily damage was a mild inconvenience
But soul damage? That was a different beast entirely
Severe, often permanent, and riddled with long term consequences
Like memory loss
She scowled, or at least, she tried
Lacking a body made expressions difficult
'Great
Just great
Can't feel my strength either
Did I destroy my body again? That would explain... this'
This
A concept without form
A presence without definition
It made her skin crawl, if she still had skin, that was
She reached out instinctively, calling upon the foundation of her godhood
[Divine Sense]
Nothing
'...Okay?'
She didn't like that
At all
Fine
Perhaps a lesser form would work
[Heavenly Sense]
Nothing
She froze
A hollow feeling spread through her, slow and suffocating, like ink bleeding into water
'No
That's not possible
Even if I was sealed, suppressed, there should be something'
She tried again
And again
But the result remained the same: emptiness
Then, unbidden, the thought came:
'How far did I fall?'
Panic, real, undeniable panic, ripped through her before she caught it, smothering it under the weight of cold reason
No
She would not break
She would not spiral
She had to be logical
First, assessment
'I can't feel my body
I can't feel my strength
I have no access to my senses
And... I'm alive'
Her mind screeched to a halt
Alive
Why did that feel wrong?
She didn't know
She should have known
A whisper of something buried stirred within her, a faint, unwelcome sensation that sent unease prickling down a spine she no longer possessed
She shoved it aside
'Alright
One thing at a time
First step, figure out what's happening
Second step, fix it
Third step, payback
If someone did this to me, they are going to regret it'
It was a plan
Not a great one, but a plan nonetheless
And if a small, treacherous part of her clung to the idea that she should not be here at all, well
She ignored it
'Fine
Let's go deeper
[Immortal Sense] it is'
Silence
She had expected that
Mostly
'Okay... then [Spirit Sense]
That one's more basic
It has to work'
More silence
A deep, simmering irritation took root in her mind
'No
No way I regressed this much
That's impossible
This has to be-'
She stopped
The realization felt like ice trickling down her spine
'-a technique
Some kind of weird suppression technique
That's the only explanation'
Yes
That made sense
Someone had done this to her
That meant it was fixable
She just had to-
'Wait
Why didn't I check my mindscape earlier?'
It was such a basic step that she almost felt embarrassed
Almost
She reached inward, expecting the familiar expanse of her consciousness to unfold before her
She slammed into a wall
'...What?'
She tried again
And again
The wall remained, unyielding and absolute
'What in the actual hell?!'
Frustration bubbled over, fast and violent
'I can't even access my mindscape?! Seriously?!'
That, more than anything, sent alarm bells screeching in her mind
No matter how much power she had lost, the mindscape was the core of her being
To be cut off from it was wrong on every level
Her thoughts slowed, piece by piece, as an impossible conclusion formed
'I've been... reborn'
The idea settled in her mind, cold and heavy
Then, with dawning horror:
'Are you fucking kidding me?!'
The void did not answer her outrage
-=3 Weeks Later=-
It had been three weeks
Three long, frustrating weeks
Yuzuki sighed internally, her irritation sharp enough to cut
'Three weeks already... I can't believe this'
The only small mercy in this bizarre situation? The one thing she still had some control over
'At least cultivation works
Small victories'
And now, after relentless effort, she finally felt it again, the pull of her mindscape
'Took long enough'
With honed precision, she stepped inward, ready to reclaim what was hers-
And stopped dead in her tracks
The forge of her past life, the space she had crafted meticulously, was gone
In its place stretched an endless, damp sewer
Water pooled in thin, murky layers, coating the ground in filth
Dim, flickering embers floated aimlessly above the murky water, their glow barely piercing the gloom
Some drifted lifelessly, sinking into the filth, while others pulsed weakly, fragments of something once powerful, now struggling to hold form
The air hung thick with the stench of neglect
Her eye twitched
'...What. The. Fuck.'
Her breath hitched, not in fear, but in pure, unfiltered outrage
'Where is my forge? Why are my memories all over the place? Why is my mindscape a sewer?!'
The thought of this mess being permanent made something deep in her soul itch with barely restrained violence
"This is unacceptable
I clawed my way back to consciousness only to find this?"
She wanted to scream
She wanted to fix it
But she knew better
This place was the reflection of her current self, unstable, fractured, a shadow of what she once was
And changing it now?
Impossible
Infuriating
After several minutes of fuming (complete with aggressive mental pacing), she forced herself to take a breath
'Fine
Fine! If I can't fix it yet, I'll figure out what's in it'
Because if there was one thing she knew for certain, it was this:
The mind never revealed everything at once
A faint pull tugged at her awareness, subtle, but unmistakable
'...A connection? Another mindscape?'
For a brief moment, she hesitated
But curiosity won over caution, and she followed the tether
What she found made her stop in her tracks
It was another sewer
Only this one was even emptier
Just the same endless corridors, slick floors, and stagnant air, except stripped of even the dim embers that floated in her own
Her lip curled
'Ugh
Are all mindscapes this pathetic, or is it just this one?'
Her stomach twisted at the thought
'Seriously? What kind of backwater realm have I been reborn into?'
Suppressing the urge to groan, she pushed forward
If she was connected to this space, then it must belong to the woman carrying her
And if that was the case...
She could search her memories
'Let's just hope she doesn't notice
I'm not exactly the most subtle thief in the world'
Time stretched as she sifted through fragmented impressions, mundane routines, faces she didn't recognize, fleeting emotions that weren't hers
It was slow, irritating work, but eventually, she found something useful
'Konoha... A village? Must be where we live
And only five great villages?
Hah... That's just sad'
More flashes surfaced
'Uchiha Clan... Now that could be useful
Though if they don't betray me for some stupid reason, I'll be shocked'
Then, she caught a glimpse of a man, stern, sharp eyed, his gaze cold yet commanding
'Fugaku... My new father
A clan leader, huh? Well, at least I might have some backing this time'
Her attention flicked to his eyes, deep red, swirling with power
'Oh? Now that's interesting
What do those do...?'
Before she could pry deeper, another name surfaced
One she had neglected to check
'Mikoto... My new mother...'
For a moment, she simply let the name settle
'Huh
That's actually... a nice name'
Satisfied with her findings, Yuzuki withdrew
'Alright, that's enough
Time to get out of here before she realizes her unborn child is rifling through her mind'
She exhaled, if she had lungs to exhale with, and let go of the link
'Still, not a bad haul
This world might be primitive, but at least it has some useful parts'
-=-
Back in her mindscape, Yuzuki sat in silence, eyes closed, focused on her cultivation
'Why am I here? I shouldn't be here'
The thought gnawed at her, unwelcome and persistent
'I made my choice
So why...?'
She exhaled sharply, pushing the feeling aside
No point dwelling on what she couldn't change
Instead, she tried to center herself, to reclaim the sense of control she had lost
But something felt off
A pull
Faint, but undeniable
'What is that?'
Her senses sharpened
In an instant, she snapped back to her physical form, drawn by the strange presence wrapping around her like unseen threads
'Energy... trying to enter me?'
She stilled
The realization struck fast, sharp
'Inheritance?'
Her mind flicked through her mother's memories, combing through every fragment she had stolen
Nothing
No sign of this
'Then why didn't I see anything?'
Her focus narrowed
The energy wasn't just entering her
It was splitting
Dividing
Threading itself into another presence-
'...A twin?'
The idea gave her pause
A twin meant attachment
It meant connection
It was something she had once craved, something she had long since trained herself to discard
And yet...
'A twin... Hah. Let's see how long that lasts'
The thought was quiet, almost uncertain
A part of her latched onto it before she ruthlessly pushed it down
'No
That doesn't matter'
Her decision had already been made
'I won't waste this
It's mine'
All of it
The pull was instinctual, but the choice was deliberate
She reached out, seized the energy, and drew it toward herself, siphoning everything before it could reach its intended recipient
'Sorry'
A flicker of something unfamiliar scraped against her thoughts
A warning
A hesitation
But she crushed it before it could form
'Survival first
Always'
It wasn't a feeling she welcomed, but it was one she understood
If this was the price of strength-
Then she would take it all
No one would ever take from her again
-=-
After absorbing the energy, Yuzuki returned to her mindscape
There was still something else she had to find here
Her gaze swept over the floating embers, each one flickering with fragmented pieces of her past life
But one ember, barely more than a dying spark, stood out
She frowned
"That one..."
Reaching out, she let her fingers hover just above it
A strange hesitation flickered within her, unbidden and unwelcome
'My last memory... before I died...'
The thought sent an uncomfortable ripple through her, but she shook her head and pushed it aside
"Later"
There was something else she needed to deal with first
She straightened and narrowed her gaze
"Show yourself
I can feel you"
Silence
Then, the space before her shifted
A figure materialized, chilling, unfamiliar, but somehow... present
Like something that had always been there, yet never belonged
Yuzuki's eyes flickered over the newcomer, unimpressed
"Well?"
she prompted
The man studied her, expression unreadable
Then, with a raised brow, he spoke
"Interesting... You're my reincarnation?"
His tone was almost neutral, yet laced with something assessing
He eyed her youthful appearance with mild curiosity before tilting his head
"You're a bit young to be here, though
How did you manage to get in?"
Yuzuki scoffed
"Reincarnation? What are you even talking about? This is my mindscape
Obviously, I can be here
It's part of me"
The figure, Indra Otsutsuki, regarded her for a long moment before giving a slow nod
"That makes sense"
Then, almost as an afterthought, he added
"As for your question, I am Indra Otsutsuki
And you... are my descendant"
Yuzuki blinked
Then frowned
Then wrinkled her nose in outright distaste
"Huh? Wait, hold up-"
She made a vague, dismissive gesture
"Are you one of those weirdos who tries to cheat death by stuffing their soul into their kids?
Because if so, get out
That's creepy as hell"
Indra blinked. Once. Slowly.
"I... do not know what you mean, nor how you even came up with that"
He admitted, looking genuinely thrown off by her accusation
"As far as I know, what you describe is impossible"
Yuzuki let out a theatrical sigh of relief
"Good
That's a relief
For a second, I thought you were about to start talking about some twisted immortality scheme"
She crossed her arms, gaze sharp
"But if that's not it, what do you mean by 'reincarnation'?"
Indra's expression shifted, fractionally, but enough for her to notice
His voice grew colder
"It is nothing so trivial"
He paused before continuing
"A dispute between me and my brother, Ashura
One we could not resolve in life
And so, we watch our reincarnations, hoping they will settle it for us"
Yuzuki's eyebrow twitched
"You're telling me..."
She began, voice dangerously slow
"That you and your brother, in all your infinite wisdom, decided that instead of being normal people and actually working things out, you'd just pass the responsibility onto your reincarnations for centuries?"
Indra hesitated
Then, scratching his cheek, muttered
"When you put it like that, yes, it does sound... foolish
But it is crucial to us"
Yuzuki stared at him
Then exhaled sharply, pinching the bridge of her nose
"Ancient. Drama. Queen."
Indra didn't respond, but the silence that followed was somehow deeply judgmental
Yuzuki dropped her hand and leveled him with a flat look
"Right
So you're here to dump all your unresolved baggage on me
Got it"
Indra exhaled, looking like he was already tired of her
"I have a feeling you are going to be insufferable"
"Finally, something we agree on"
-=Chapter End=-
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